Balance Having good balance is critical for function of your gait and function of your gait impacts how force transfers through your body. What this translates to is what muscles get tight, weak, strong etc to keep you upright. While feet are way overlooked despite doing so much for you. Addressing strength and function of your feet may well be the first step in achieving a more balanced, better functioning, stronger body. But, what if you are already strong and you still struggle with balance? Balance is also impacted by functions of the brain.
Solution: Myofascial body work, Functional strength training/ re-eduction
Pain and/or Injury Many people seek treatment because of pain. This may be you! While I understand a crash course in Neurology is not what you might be looking for, but simply put, pain is complex and understanding how it functions will position you to having more success with treatments. Pain is a protective mechanism for the body, and it doesn't always correlate to an injury or catastrophic event. There are multiple reasons for pain, and understanding how it operates is a stepping stone to feeling more in control. A wonderful resource is Explain Pain book by Lorimer Moseley, Tame the Beast www.tamethebeast.org It is important to know that pain does not live in the tissue, it actually lives in the brain. The brain decides what is painful and what is not. Check out Lorimers' explanation here youtu.be/Sjes9CuN6Koor this Flippin' pain event video here on YouTube :youtu.be/T6acNUrqVP0
Solution: Myofascial Release has been shown to help reintegrate the nervous system and provide relief with pain.
Scars or Post Surgery Post surgery care of the tissue is vitally important to full recovery. Every time you sustain an injury, or undergo surgery, your tissue is displaced and manual work will help reintegrate the area to function again. I describe scars like gum in your hair. It's a blob that just binds together and doesn't allow what it's stuck to to be functional. What that means to say your hip which was replaced, that c-section scar, or that laparoscopic knee exploration, is the tissue surrounding those areas will not be moving as well as before, causing strain and stress on other parts of your body, and for some people, pain.
Solution: Myofascial Release. Helps tissue rehydrate and fibers move well upon one another.